Using SEO to Boost Your Direct Mail Response Rates

March 24, 2016

Even if you integrated direct mail and digital marketing ages ago, you may not have considered all the possibilities. Yes, digital marketing is a great way to support and expand your direct mail marketing campaigns, but there is so much more you can do to improve results from your mail pieces. Let’s consider one huge option: SEO.

What Is SEO?

Of course, you already have an idea of what SEO is: search engine optimization. You also know that correct use of SEO drives traffic to your website, whether through social marketing searches, local directories, or just an old-fashioned keyword search. What you may not realize is that SEO is the perfect tool for optimizing your mail, too.

In most cases, the person who’s handling the SEO part of your marketing is located far away from the direct mail part. Their job is to determine how people are finding your business, through keyword analysis and application. Believe it or not, that exact job could help you with your direct mail, too.

How SEO Works for Direct Mail

When analyzing the keywords for your company, you get a direct look into the buyer’s mind. This is how they find you online. These are the search terms that are most important to them, and your website is how you provide the answers they need.

Now, what if you could take those search terms that lead the most buyers to your website and use those to craft direct mail messaging that targets your audience? If you knew that buyers were searching for “healthcare insurance advice Tennessee” or “financial advisors Nashville,” would that shape the way you created your messaging on your direct mail pieces?

Why SEO Works

You can’t possibly know how each individual person in your target audience thinks or searches for the services or products you offer. What you can know, however, is how the vast majority of people in your audience thinks. A keyword analysis tool is all you need to get this very important and valuable insight. There are several options, including one from Moz, a very respected name in SEO. While some are free, the paid options will provide more accurate results.

Simply enter your website URL, and the tool will tell you how people find you. Now, if they’re looking for you, won’t they be surprised when you show up in their mailboxes? When you can craft a mail piece that touches on their exact needs, they’re much more likely to open and respond.

If you want to learn more about growing your business through direct mail and digital marketing with tips like these, give us a call. We’re here to help.